Very little is known of the Snake Clan (Wak'ą Hik'ik'árajera). It is said that the Snake Clan is a recent addition to the Hočąk nation, however, this is usually just a means of associating the vigor and power of youth with the spirit of the clan. Along the same lines, it is said that the snake was the last to show up at the Creation Council of the Hočąk Nation, and that it was even the smallest in size.1 A few clan names are extant:2

In the Medicine Rite, serpents are known by the poetic terms, "Spirit-Walking Soldiers" and "Crawling Soldiers."3

In the autumn when snakes retire to their underground chambers to hibernate, the Snake Clan holds its special feast. On this occasion they offer the serpents feathers, tobacco, and food. The food was introduced into the holes down which the snakes retired for the winter. At that time they also recounted the origin myth of the Snake Clan, a story which is still not publicly known. When the first humans entered the primordial Medicine Rite Lodge, where Hare was to establish Life for humans to its fullest extant, each represented one of the eight lower moiety clans of the Hočągara (Waterspirit, Buffalo, Elk, Deer, Fish, Bear, Wolf, and Snake). The last to enter was the chief of the Snake Clan, but it was he who would be initiated into the rite before all others.4 This reflects the serpent's special sacred status, and probably its association with rebirth expressed in the periodic sluffing off of its skin. The function of the Snake Clan was to keep the surface of the ground clean in the villages, and more importantly, its members were to use their special powers to perceive the approach of enemies, against whom they were the first line of defense. They shared this defensive role with their traditional friends, the Fish Clan.5

Snake Clan Origin Myth (fragmentary)

by David Laury

"The Snake Clan came last [to the Creation Council of the Hočąk Nation], so he sat down by the door as he was the least even in size. And the ones within the lodge said, 'He is a likely chief'. Therefore, a Snake Clan name is 'Likely Chief'."6

Commentary."came last" — youth, and most of all being the youngest, symbolizes superior strength. This is why they think that he is a candidate for being chief. See "Themes" below. Of a piece with this is the idea that the most humble looking thing of any sort is very often the most powerful in its function. It is therefore said, for instance, that when a man picked the worst looking club among all those offered to him by the Thunderbirds, he had in fact picked the most powerful weapon in their possession. (See The Thunderbird Warclub)